Sunset
by Evelyn Sparrow
Summary: Severus Snape makes his journey to the afterlife. But will he be alone? One-shot


**_Just a little one shot I had in my head :)_**

I felt cold. The heat of my body drained from me, as did my blood. The Shrieking Shack creaked and shifted around me. Death would take me at last.

The Dark Lord would not win. I had faith in the boy. I regret how I treated him. I only saw him as Potter's brat, never as Lily's son. I would never have the chance to tell him.

Regret was a prominent theme in my existence.

What would have come of my life had I not been in Slytherin? Would she have been mine had I not called her the unforgivable? Why had I allowed myself to be taken in by the dark draw of power?

Regret. Yes, it was the perfect word.

A creaking noise drew my attention. They were here. The Golden trio. The red hair, the fierce intelligence... The green eyes. A constant reminder of what I had lost. Or driven away was a more apt term. But for once despair was overruled by the faintest hope.

"Take them." I gestured to the silvery tears trailing down my face. He looked down at me in horror and confusion. Despair filled me. "Take them!" I said a little more forcefully. He placed his hand against my bleeding neck, trying to staunch the flow. But it was much to late for me.

The Granger girl rushed forward and handed Lily's son a small glass vial. I watched as the young man gathered my memories. My last chance to tell him the truth. My only chance to apologise.

"You have your mothers eyes." all the colour of the world faded. His face was the last thing I saw, the edges of my vision turning grey and crumbling away. The green eyes of the chosen one burned into my mind forever.

But then, a faint glow pierced my eyelids. I slowly opened them to a startlingly bright scene, but it didn't hurt my eyes. I felt no pain and no fear.

I was sat in a tuft of spongy grass in the middle of a playground. A very familiar playground. The colours were muted but the golden glow granted it beauty. I recalled the memory of the swirl of a blue dress on the roundabout, the singing voice on the monkey bars, the swish of red hair on the swing set.

My eyes moved to that very swing set and shock filled me. Sitting on one of the two swings, facing away was that beautiful red hair. She was holding loosely to the chains and swinging slightly.

Before I knew it I was by her side.

"Lily?" I choked out. She turned her head and smiled up at me warmly.

"Severus." For the first time in years I smiled. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Will you not join me?" I glanced down at the vacant seat and reluctantly sat. I looked upon her face as she continued to smile.

"I never expected anyone to meet me here. Least of all you." She reached over and grasped my hand.

"Oh Severus. Did you really think I would not be here? I would never let you take this journey alone."

"I never expected to see you again, living or dead," I choked out. She ran her thumb soothingly over my hand. "After everything I did." I looked away in shame.

"Yes, you did do some pretty horrific things." Self-loathing filled me. But she squeezed my hand tighter. "But when you think about it, you were young. You made bad decisions. You fell into the wrong crowd. You were brought up in a terrible environment. But since the night of my death, you have done everything in your power to make things right. Though, you could have been nicer to my son."

"Perhaps. I tried, but he looked just like his father. He was just like his father. It was torture, seeing your eyes but James's face." she smiled sadly at me. "Nothing I did was good enough. I can never atone for what I did. I was a stupid, foolish boy. And it cost me everything."

"And my stubbornness cost me my dearest friend." I looked up at her. "I can't help but wonder that if I had forgiven you for slighting me, then maybe you wouldn't have joined them." she looked forwards to where the warmest of lights shone. It looked like the setting sun. Her deep red hair glowed like fire, her face tranquil. "It is my biggest regret."

"It is my fault you died. That both of you died. Your son grew up without knowing his wonderful mother." I spoke, gripping her hand tightly and watching the setting sun. I knew when it bowed beneath the curve of the horizon that it was time to move on.

"His father was wonderful too. Remember, Severus, the decisions you made in school. Foolish and dangerous. James often sat down to write to you, but he couldn't find the words to repair the damage he did." I felt a rush of confusion. "His cruelty to you scarred him as well. We all have scars. Some of them leave." she placed her hand on her heart. "Some of them stay forever. And some are a constant reminder." She gently pulled my sleeve up to reveal the ugly mark on my forearm. I looked down at it in disgust. A constant reminder of my foolishness.

She bent down and kissed it lightly. I twitched in surprise as she ran her fingers over my flesh and I watched in wonderment as the mark disappeared. I let out a shuddering breath, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"How can I ever make it up to you Lily? Especially how I treated Har... Harry." the name felt foreign on my tongue. "My soul is completely dark. I doubt I even have one."

"You wouldn't be here if you had no soul. Since the day I met you I knew you had a good heart. You were taught to hate muggleborns, yet you were my friend. I knew how much you regretted what you said that day but I wanted you to suffer. And I'm sorry." she held up her hand as I tried to interrupt her. "My dearest friend." she placed her hand on my cheek. "I forgive you." I leant into her touch as silent tears fell. The grip that held my heart since that day many years ago finally released.

"What is it like?" I gestured towards the sun.

"It is wonderful. You will live in your happiest moments in your lifetime." Happiest memories. Days filled with laughter with a red haired girl would do me just fine.

"What are your happiest memories?" I asked her.

"The day Harry was born. The day I married James. The day I was accepted to Hogwarts. The day I met my dearest friend." she practically glowed with happiness.

"That doesn't seem so bad." I felt content. Death was always something I feared. But now with Lily by my side I looked forward to it.

"No more suffering Severus. You can be happy at last. But look. The sun is about to set. Let us jump like we used too as children." she smiled warmly at me.

We began to swing, slowly getting higher as the sun got lower. Lily giggled as she looked at me. I watched as she shrunk, transforming into the child I had befriended. I looked down at my own body, which was that of my childhood self. She held out her hand to me.

"Together."

There was a brilliant flash of light as we jumped. And that was the end of me.

_And so ended the difficult life of Severus Snape._

**_I hope you like :) review!_**


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